Keep your finger on the legal world's pulse

In a significant legal setback for Apple, a three-judge appeals panel has denied the company's request to pause an order that prohibits it from charging fees on in-app transactions processed outside its payment system. The ruling, issued by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers, came as part of a legal dispute initiated nearly five years ago by Epic Games, which alleged Apple had turned the iPhone's app store had been turned into a monopoly. Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney remarked that “The long national nightmare of the Apple tax is ended", highlighting the implications for Apple's commission structure, which previously ranged from 15% to 30%. Apple expressed disappointment over the ruling and plans to continue its appeal to maintain a favourable environment for developers and users.

 

CNBC

Los Angeles Times

Reuters

Texas has removed New York asset manager BlackRock from a list of companies that were seen to be boycotting the energy industry. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said the decision reflected the firm's retreats from industry climate groups such as the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative. Hegar also observed that BlackRock has lowered its support for shareholder environmental resolutions and backed a new Texas Stock Exchange. BlackRock "has acknowledged the real social and economic costs, both here in Texas and globally, that come from limiting investment in the oil and gas industry," Hegar said.

 

Reuters

Eminem is suing Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, for at least $109m, alleging that it has illegally stored, reproduced, and distributed his music without proper licensing. The lawsuit, filed by Eight Mile Style, claims that Meta has created copies of 243 songs controlled by the company, which have been used across its platforms. Meta, however, asserts that it has licensing agreements with numerous partners and was negotiating in good faith with Eight Mile Style before the lawsuit was filed.

 

Daily Mail

JPMorgan Chase has told new graduates that if they accept future-dated job offers elsewhere within 18 months of starting their analyst program they will be fired. In a letter, the Wall Street bank has told incoming investment banking analysts that accepting offers at other firms before they join will mean "employment with the firm will end." Financial News says the letter did not single out private equity firms, but the move comes as buyout companies become increasingly aggressive with handing out pre-dated offers to incoming analysts.

 

Financial News

Financial Times

The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that federal law protects gun manufacturers from most liability, dismissing Mexico's lawsuit against the U.S. gun industry. Justice Elena Kagan noted that the law, enacted in 2005, prevents gun companies from being sued for harms caused by third-party misuse of firearms. While acknowledging Mexico's severe gun violence issue, the court said: “Mexico's complaint does not plausibly allege that the defendant manufacturers aided and abetted gun dealers' unlawful sales of firearms to Mexican traffickers”. The ruling emphasizes the narrow exception for lawsuits, which requires evidence of manufacturers knowingly facilitating illegal sales.

 

USA Today

Los Angeles Times

NPR

New York Times

The French audit regulator has issued a stark warning regarding the potential dismantling of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) by U.S. lawmakers. In a letter, H2A President Florence Peybernes cautioned that such a move could lead to "damaging consequences" for international audit coordination. The PCAOB, established in 2002 to enhance audit quality following major scandals, is facing legislative challenges as Republicans propose transferring its oversight responsibilities to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Peybernes highlighted that this transition could disrupt ongoing audits and complicate existing agreements with European regulators. PCAOB Chair Erica Williams also expressed concerns, stating: "Now is not the time for a major disruption in audit oversight," pointing to the importance of maintaining robust audit practices for millions of American investors.

 

Daily Mail

Google's Threat Intelligence Group has warned that a hacking group has been impersonating IT personnel to break into companies’ Salesforce tools, using the access for data theft and extortion. The hackers use voice calls to trick employees into visiting a purported Salesforce connected app setup page and unwittingly install a modified version of Salesforce's Data Loader tool. Technical infrastructure linked to the campaign shares characteristics with suspected ties to the loosely organized ecosystem known as “The Com,” known for small, disparate groups engaging in cybercriminal and sometimes violent activity. A Salesforce spokesperson said “there’s no indication the issue described stems from any vulnerability inherent in our platform.” The spokesperson said the voice calls used to trick employees “are targeted social engineering scams designed to exploit gaps in individual users’ cybersecurity awareness and best practices.”

 

Bloomberg

Reuters

Boeing has reached an agreement with the US Department of Justice (DoJ) that could allow the company to avoid prosecution for defrauding aviation regulators, pending approval from a federal judge. The deal, detailed in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, permits Boeing to withdraw a previous guilty plea, which has upset the families of victims of two fatal 737 Max crashes that resulted in 346 deaths. A lawyer for 16 families of the victims described the deal as "morally repugnant," adding that it allowed Boeing to "sidestep true criminal accountability."

 

Financial Times

Wall Street Journal

The Guardian

The United States has imposed sanctions on four judges from the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing their "illegitimate actions" against the U.S. and Israel. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions, targeting Solomy Balungi Bossa, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini Gansou, and Beti Hohler. The judges were involved in issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over alleged war crimes during the Gaza conflict. Rubio stated: "As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel." The move escalates tensions between the US and the ICC, which has already seen sanctions against its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan.

 

The Independent UK

The Guardian

David Cameron, the former British Prime Minister, has been appointed as a consultant at DLA Piper, the largest law firm in the UK. Frank Ryan, DLA Piper's global co-CEO, stated that Cameron's appointment "further positions us to counsel clients on navigating challenges and seizing opportunity wherever they do business." Cameron served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016 and was the UK's foreign secretary from 2023 to 2024. Charles Severs, also a global co-CEO, remarked: "Lord Cameron's vast experience in global leadership and policymaking will be a tremendous asset to our leadership team." DLA Piper has a notable government affairs practice group, which includes several former political figures.

 

City AM

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has enacted a new law to enhance affirmative action policies, increasing the quota for government jobs reserved for Black individuals from 20% to 30%. The law also includes Indigenous people and descendants of Afro-Brazilian enslaved individuals as beneficiaries. “It is important to allow this country . . . to have a society reflected in its public offices, in the Prosecutors' Office, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Attorney-General's Office, in the Internal Revenue Service, everywhere,” Lula said. “We still have few women, few Black people, almost no Indigenous people." The changes will affect candidates for permanent positions across Brazil's federal administration and will be reviewed in 2035. Despite progress, with Black and mixed-race individuals holding 36% of top government jobs in 2024, the demographic remain under-represented in public service, particularly in leadership roles.

 

U.S. News

Some economists are starting to question the accuracy of U.S. inflation data due to staffing shortages that they say affect survey precision. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) used less precise methods for guessing price changes in April’s inflation report due to a hiring freeze, and the economists say data issues could significantly affect the economy, influencing Social Security benefits, bonds and Federal Reserve decisions. “They’re having to turn to less effective methods to fill in the blanks,” said Omair Sharif, an economist at advisory firm Inflation Insights, about the impact of the BLS having fewer workers. He said he has been busy with calls from professional traders who are anxious about data accuracy.

 

Wall Street Journal